Los Alamitos: Desert Dawn leads field of 7 in the Bayakoa

Desert Dawn, who has won or placed in nine graded stakes in her 17-race career, will have six opponents in her return to Los Alamitos on Friday in the Grade 3, $100,000 Bayakoa Stakes.

A 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares 3 and up, the Bayakoa will be run for the sixth time at Los Alamitos. Friday’s card starts at 3:30 p.m. EST. The Bayakoa is the last of eight races and has a scheduled post time of 6:58 p.m. EST.

Click here for Los Alamitos entries and results.

Trained by Phil D’Amato for breeders H and E Ranch, Desert Dawn, a 4-year-old Cupid filly out of the Honour and Glory mare Ashley’s Glory, will get some class relief in the Bayakoa. An earner of $876,525, Desert Dawn was most recently fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 4, defeated by 1 1/4 lengths by the winner Idiomatic.

An Arizona bred who was fourth in the 2021 Starlet (G1) in her only previous appearance at Los Alamitos, Desert Dawn earned the biggest of her two wins in the 2022 Santa Anita Oaks (G2), scoring a 14-1 upset when defeating multiple graded-stakes winner Adare Manor by a neck.

D’Amato also will be represented by Turnerloose, who will switch to dirt after five consecutive starts on grass, the latest when fifth in the Kathryn Crosby last month at Del Mar. Owned by a partnership that includes Abbondanza Racing, Medallion Racing and Ike and Dawn Thrash, the 4-year-old Nyquist filly out of the A.P. Indy mare Goaltending has won 3 of 15 and banked $677,392. Her dirt victory came in the 2022 Rachel Alexandra (G2) at Fair Grounds when trained by Brad Cox.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who has won the Bayakoa twice at Los Alamitos with Tiz Midnight in 2014 and As Time Goes By in 2021, entered Ganadora and Midnight Memories.

Owned by Baoma Corporation, Ganadora, a 4-year-old Quality Road filly out of the Ghostzapper mare Beloveda, already is a stakes winner at Los Alamitos. She won the ungraded Dark Mirage by eight lengths last year as the 4-5 favorite. Ganadora was winless in seven subsequent races and returns to dirt after finishing sixth of nine in the Kathryn Crosby. She has won 3 of 11 and earned $220,600.

A daughter of Tiz Midnight and Mastery, 4-year-old Midnight Memories has not raced since finishing third in the Beholder Mile (G1) March 11 at Santa Anita. She has won 4 of 7 and earned $364,880 for owner-breeders Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman.

Like Ganadora, Violent Runner also has a victory at Los Alamitos. Owned by Les Blake and trained by Steve Knapp, the 5-year-old Violence mare won an optional claimer at 5 1/2 furlongs during the 2022 September meet when trained by John Sadler. Out of the City Zip mare Top Performance, Violent Runner is 6-for-12 with a bankroll of $209,920. The Bayakoa will mark her first outing beyond seven furlongs.

Knapp also entered Smoothlikebuttah, who is owned by Robert Bach and William Tessar. The 5-year-old daughter of Mr. Big out of the Five Star Day mare Eight Daughters have won 3 of 46 and banked $457,436. She has two wins and a third in four races at Los Alamitos.

In terms of local wins, Trouville is the most accomplished member of the Bayakoa field. The veteran mare has won twice in 10 attempts at Los Al and has hit the board on seven other occasions. A 6-year-old Will Take Charge mare owned by Mark Banuelos and Mathilde Powell and trained by Leonard Powell, Trouville is 4-for-38. Out of the Bernardini mare Night Drive, she has earned $297,737.